Wednesday, June 9, 2010

My New Rainy Day Comfort Food

I was spending a lazy Saturday watching PBS when Lidia's Italy came on. Lidia drank wine, she sliced polenta with a string, she kissed people on both cheeks. I don't usually get excited about Italian food (not enough cumin), but when she returned to her kitchen studio and whipped out two bunches of kale, I sat up and took notice.

First Lidia made polenta (with bay leaves? good idea!), and then she sautéed the kale in bacon fat. "That could be dinner if you added white beans," I said. And sure enough, she added white beans! Did I feel clever. Once the polenta was thick and bubbly, Lidia scooped it into a shallow dish and topped it with the kale, beans, and bacon. The dish, Lidia's Polenta with White Beans and Black Kale, took less than 20 minutes to prepare. It had such potential as an easy, healthy staple meal, I knew had to veganize it.

First off, there's no need for bacon. Olive oil and lots of fresh garlic lend the kale and beans a flavor that's just as rich and interesting. Soak and cook your white beans ahead of time with some salt and bay leaves if you like, or retain the weeknight gourmet aspect of this meal by using canned beans. Lidia uses black kale, also known as Lacinato and dinosaur kale, but regular old curly kale is fine. Fiddleheads, if you can find them, would be outstanding in this rich, garlicky dish. A drizzle of really good, peppery olive oil is the perfect finishing touch.

While polenta cooks, warm 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds, just enough for the garlic to become fragrant but not begin to brown. Add kale and toss with garlic (this is easiest with tongs). After 2 minutes, when kale has begun to cook down, add broth, beans, and salt. Sauté another 5-6 minutes, uncovered, until most of the liquid has boiled off.

After 20 minutes, the polenta should be thick and creamy. Remove bay leaves and scoop into shallow bowls. Top with kale and beans. Drizzle additional olive oil over kale if desired.

GORGEOUS. We finally have the Food Network again after 3 years without it, and even though it is decidedly not vegan, I love to watch it just for inspiration like this. Veganizing food is so easy and tasty. This looks like an absolutely wonderful dinner, hearty, delicious and simple. Thank you!

Bryanna Clark Grogan in Nonna's Italian Kitchen has a similar dish but with the addition of some onions at the beginning and she adds a touch of toasted sesame oil to add depth of flavor in place of the bacon. It is DELICIOUS and I highly recommend trying it with onion, which adds just a touch of juicy sweetness :).

Beautiful!!! I actually planned on making something similar for dinner the other night, but then I came home from work exhausted & just ate cereal instead. :-P I am going to make this tonight! I love the idea of using polenta, too. Yummm.